The noise figure is a measure that is of interest for characterizing the behavior of a device under test under operation, for instance a communication device such as a user end device or any other signal processing device.
In the state of the art, the noise figure of the device under test is typically measured by using an external noise source that provides a pseudo-noise signal for simulating noise wherein a noise power is measured. In those approaches, a cold noise power has to be produced and measured, namely a noise signal at a very low power level. The noise source may be established by a programmable radio frequency source that is operated to produce the pseudo-noise, for instance a white Gaussian noise, also called WGN.
However, the approaches known in the prior art relate to an artificial measurement approach since a noise source is simulated which is used for characterizing the noise figure of the device under test that differs from the real operating conditions. Therefore, the result of those measurements may have limited relevance or reliability.
Accordingly, there is a need for a method as well as a measurement system ensuring identification of the noise figure of a device under test in a cost-efficient and reliable manner.